She should have been
working on her math test, but the back of Kenshin's head was so
much more interesting. She knew that failing this test would be a
very bad idea, but his long, red ponytail moved slightly and she was
transfixed. It was stupid to swoon over him, the one person she had
no chance with, but there it was.

It was the first day of
kindergarten, and she'd seen him walking down the street by the
playground. None of the other kids would play with her, so she
watched him carry a bag as big as he was with apparent ease.

After a week of
watching, she approached him. Somehow, despite his cool demeanor and
unwillingness to talk, she'd made friends with him. They'd been
close ever since- even though he was being home schooled and she was
in elementary. They'd formed a bond, and it got stronger, not
weaker as the years went by. Kenshin finally went into public school
in sixth grade. Kaoru finally stopped needing glasses in seventh. She
got her braces off in fifth.

He was overprotective
and possessive and slightly weird, but he treated her like she was
more important than anyone else. He'd shoved a sword through the
mailbox of the first guy who'd dumped her, had beaten off so many
bullies that he frightened even her with his skill, but he'd never
turned his rage on her. When Kaoru was surrounded by people who
didn't want her around, Kenshin had stayed with her, had chosen
being ostracized over being popular.

And he made high school
all the easier. No one dared pick on her-Kenshin had stopped that in
seventh grade. He always brought huge lunches to share with her and
helped her with all her homework. While her father got drunk and
smashed things, she stayed at his house. Only a few months ago, she'd
moved in with him at his insistence.

He colored her whole
life, and she felt lost without him. Misao and Megumi were wonderful,
and she loved them dearly, but Kenshin was closest friend she'd
ever had.

It seemed inevitable
that she fall in love with him. And fall in love with him she did.

He'd finished the
homework, and was bored. And Kenshin knew from long experience that
if he was bored, his mind would return to the one subject he never
tired of. Kaoru, his best friend.

He could hear her
pencil scratching on the math test she was making up in the silent
study hall behind him. He'd studied with her for weeks to help her
prepare, only to have her fall sick. She'd made him leave her and
go to school, but he'd snuck off during lunch and no amount of
scolding could quell the relief at knowing she was safe.

Raised by a sadistic
and slightly insane swordsman who forced to train until he turned
fifteen and mastered the style Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu, after which he'd
moved into his own place, she was his only friend. When he'd been
alone, she'd reached out to him.

And he was determined
from that day forward never to lose her, no matter what the cost.

"Didn't know they
let idiots in, either, but there you have it." Kenshin gave his
rival and nemesis, Shinji, a cold, frightening smile. Kaoru referred
to it as the I-will-eat-your-soul look, but then again, he never
turned it on her. She could make fun if she liked.

He and his kendo team
were hanging out after a long day of school and practice. Kaoru was
at a slumber party with Misao and Megumi, so the four guys had felt
free to come to this shady gambling house. Unfortunately, their rival
team was there as well.

Shinji was blonde,
brown-eyed, cocky, and Kaoru's most persistent suitor. In short, he
was Kenshin's worst nightmare. Kenshin, in turn, guarded Kaoru so
well that Shinji had had no chance at getting Kaoru to do anything
with him. Or even come near him.

Sano, the manager of
the kendo team, went off with Soujiro to gamble. Aoshi retreated to a
dark corner to brood, as usual. And Kenshin sat down next to Shinji
at his table, letting his anger cool.

"Oh, I don't
know...the upcoming kendo tournament. If you win, I'll leave Kaoru
alone. But if I win, you get out of my way."

"If my school wins or
if I win in a one-on-one match?"

"One-on-one match."
Shinji waited and hoped he'd baited the other teen enough to get
him to agree. With Kenshin, you could never know what he was
thinking, or so he felt. Kaoru always seemed to read him like a book.

"...no." The
redhead gave him an amused look. "I won't gamble with Kaoru's
happiness. At least, not without her here."

Kaoru walked down the
hallway, holding her backpack loosely in one hand. It trailed along
the floor as she stopped outside the gym, listening to the sounds of
practice going on inside.

Kendo practice had been
over an hour ago, but Kenshin was still here. She had told him she'd
get a ride with Misao, but she was worried. Why was he working so
hard? He was easily the best of them. He practiced outside of school,
trained with his master once a month, and she'd never seen anyone
outside of their team even give him a sweat.

Slipping in through the
open door, she walked towards him. He was facing the other way,
sparring with an imaginary opponent. She hesitated, than spoke.
"Kenshin?"

Within a second his
blade was touching the side of her neck. If he even twitched, he
could decapitate her. Eyes wide at his skill at stopping a hair's
breadth from her skin and his reaction time, Kaoru slowly raised her
hands in surrender.

He was frozen with
horror at actually coming close to hurting Kaoru. If he had been a
little slower in stopping...the rational part of his mind, the part
that knew exactly what his capabilities were, pointed out that there
was no way in hell he could accidentally hurt Kaoru. His reaction
time was too good. But he wasn't all that interested in reason in
this one moment.

"Kaoru..." He
sheathed his blade, hands shaking, and caught her shoulders. She
didn't seem afraid, more like startled. She reached up and yanked
on his hair, making him jump.

"I'm fine, you
moron. Like you would have hit me? I'm sorry I surprised you, but
you've been here for an hour and I was a little worried."

"I...I wanted some
extra practice." He lied.

"Right. What's
bothering you?" She grabbed his hands when he started to let go of
her shoulders, hanging on to him tightly. "Kenshin..."

"Nothing." He said,
feeling guilty for lying but not wanting her to know he'd lost his
temper with Shinji. "Let's go."

"Why am I in the hate
sandwich again?" A distressed voice asked the passengers of the
cramped red van.

Sano, Soujiro, and
Aoshi, shoved in the back, just glared. Ben and Dan, twins, and
Hanna, a blue-haired, green-nailed female who was staring into her
compact, ignored her. Finally Soujiro spoke.

"Sandwich of hate?"

"Two people who hate
each other and poor me in between. Why me?"

"Because you can keep
Kenshin from murdering us all." Sano replied. 'Especially me.'

"He's not going to
murder us all." She scoffed. 'Just you.'

"No, he'll kill us.
You'll be fine, he likes you." Sano explained.

"Shut up, you, I'm
trying to drive." Kenshin snapped.

By trying to drive,
Kenshin meant he was breaking every speed limit in the vicinity.
Other cars honked their horns and made obscene hand signals as he
passed them. Kaoru was clinging helplessly to the edge of her seat,
trying not to hold on to Shinji, who had managed to climb in the
front seat with her.

"If we all die in a
tragic car accident, Shinji, it will be your fault."

"How so, Kaoru?" He
asked, draping an arm around her. She scowled but couldn't do
anything about it, wedged into the tiny seat. So Kenshin took a sharp
turn and slammed Shinji into the window. The innocent passengers
screamed in horror.

"Kenshin's driving
gets worse if he's pissed off, and you have that effect on him."
She explained tightly. "Kenshin, for the love of god, obey the
speed limits."

"Who the hell," Ben
panted as he dragged his suitcase up the stairs. "designed this
freaking hotel?"

"Our floor is through
there." Shinji replied, blinking sweat out of his eyes. The door
was in sight.

They just climbed
thirty flights of stairs in the hot summer heat. Only Kaoru was
relatively cool, primarily because Kenshin had taken her suitcase.
Despite her best attempts, he had insisted she let him hold on to it.
Unfortunately, it meant everyone glared evilly at her.

"Must be nice to have
your own personal slave." Sano muttered.

"I tried, I failed,
and I'm not going to start a stupid fight." She replied. 'Plus
I don't really want to carry my suitcase...sorry, Kenshin, but it's
the truth!'

The two practiced solo
in silence, as the dawn sun came in through the window. The room they
were using was a closed workout room, and there were huge windows on
every wall. The polished hardwood floor and high ceiling was similar
enough to Kaoru's dojo for Kenshin to feel comfortable. He made a
note to go outside later and practice Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu later.

The door opened, and
both of them turned to see who the newcomer was.

Kaoru was here, rubbing
the sleep from her eyes. Her tiredness was obvious, since her
ponytail was lopsided on her head and her shoulders were slumped. But
that wasn't why Shinji and Kenshin were staring at her like she was
the harbinger of the apocalypse.

It was because she was
wearing shorts, shorts that barely came two inches down her thighs,
and a tank top that stopped a good three inches about the waistband
of said shorts. She yawned, stretching, and both teen's eyes went
to her flat stomach as she leaned back.

"I didn't even know
she wore stuff like that outside of bed..." Kenshin muttered, awed.

"There is no way you
two are just friends if you know stuff like that." Shinji said
absently.

Kaoru had finally
noticed that both of them were gaping like fish at her, and she took
a hesitant step forward.

"Uh...shouldn't we
be practicing?"

"If you haven't
figured out why we're not practicing, then you definitely need me
to protect you." Kenshin told her.

She looked down at her
outfit as though seeing it for the first time, and then blinked.
"It's not that big of a deal, is it?" 'Dammit, I knew
there was a reason I hated this outfit...'

"I've never, ever
seen you wear shorts like that in public, and I've known you since
you needed help tying your shoelaces."

"Not that I mind- you
look hot." Shinji assured her.

"Misao does it all
the time." She said defensively, and then yawned again. "I'm so
tired..."

"Why'd you get up?"
The red-head asked. 'Why are you tormenting me?'

"You left me alone.
I got cold and decided it wasn't worth it. Ugh...stand still so I
can sleep on you."

Kaoru walked over to
him and proceed to lean on him, her eyes fluttering closed. Within
seconds, however, her eyes opened again.

"Are you looking down
my shirt?" She demanded suspiciously. 'He is not...no, wait,
he probably is. What is it about the sight of me in anything even a
little showy that makes him into a perv?'

"Yeah." Kenshin
replied. "If you moved to the right and leaned a little further
back I could probably look down your shorts, too."

Burying her face in her
hands, and blocking Kenshin's view, she sighed. "Why is it that
every time I wear anything above the knee you start harassing me?"

"You could go change
and I'd stop." He offered.

"Or you could
practice in that and assert your authority." Shinji added.
'Feminism has never seemed so good...'

She glared at both of
them. "I am not going to change just because you are an
overprotective...thingy. And if either of you try anything...I will
hurt you so bad..."

Satisfied that she
would be left alone, she picked up her shinai and started warming up.

"Kaoru, if you pace
the whole night, you'll be too tired to fight tomorrow morning."

She looked up from the
carpet, silhouetted against the moonlit window. "I'm nervous."

"I realize that, but
it won't do you any good to worry about it." Kenshin said,
climbing out of bed and stretching. He realized how futile it was,
trying to sleep peacefully while Kaoru was worried. He was too
attuned to her emotions to not be affected by them.

"Sorry I'm keeping
you up, Kenshin. You have to fight tomorrow too."

He wrapped an arm
comfortingly around her. "I don't mind." He said quietly. He
frowned as he registered the feel of bare skin under his fingers.
"Are you still in that indecent outfit?" 'Great, now I have
to sleep next to her...in that...well, there goes my plan of actually
sleeping.'

Breakfast was more of a
battle than a meal. The day of the tournament had arrived, and he two
rival teams were eating, face-to-face, trying to stare each other
down. And WC was getting creamed. Sano, Aoshi, Soujiro, and Kenshin
were experts at glaring due to a long history of a) lots of fighting,
b) lots of childhood trauma, c) lots of overprotectiveness with their
"friends", and d) too much time spent listening to Sano's, or
worse, Aoshi's, drunken singing. Kaoru, despite her best effort,
couldn't compete with them and settled for stuffing her face
instead.

The three guys, Shinji,
Ben, and Dan, were doing their utmost best, but they were reasonably
good fighters who considered this a sport, not a lifelong obsession
and skill. Plus they had all been spared the extreme trauma of their
rivals. Hanna filed and painted and refiled her nails compulsively,
trying not to look at the scary match going on in front of her. WC
was too busy glaring to eat; EM was too used to constant glaring to
lose a meal over it.

It was their empty
stomachs that forced WC to back down, stop glaring, blink, and eat
before they had to leave. Smirking victoriously, EM continued eating.

"Weirdoes." Shinji
muttered under his breath. "Don't they need to blink?"

"Weaklings." Sano
replied. "Man, I'm not even on the team and I still beat you.
Hey, Kaoru, don't eat all the eggs!"

"I'm hungry!" She
snapped. "Stop begging like a dog for food!"

Kenshin wordlessly
tipped his eggs into Kaoru's plate and dug into his pancakes.
Surprised, she ate them without complaint. The WC team watched with
confusion; so far the words "we're just friends" seemed to be
contradictory to everything the two "friends" did.

Finished, Kenshin
started to get up when Soujiro grabbed onto his arm. "You are not
driving us there."

"Why not?"

"Because your driving
frightens me." Kaoru said. "Sano can drive."

"Yes!" Sano crowed.

"No!" Soujiro said
in horror. "Never again!" Scenes of the last time Sano had driven
him anywhere flashed before his eyes.

'NOT THE PIGEONS!
AND THE CLOWNS!'

"I'll drive."
Shinji offered. "Seeing as you guys brought us up there."

Kaoru wondered if she
was cursed to travel in the hate sandwich forever.

Shinji's harmless
offer to drive had apparently been interpreted as a nefarious plot to
get Kaoru alone, without Kenshin to protect her, in the front. How he
was going to do anything while driving was anyone's guess, but
Kenshin had climbed in front with her anyways. She could feel the
hate emanating from them like hot air of pavement in the summer.

On the other hand, she
was in Kenshin's lap, which was more comfortable then them both
squishing in.

Kenshin didn't have
the disadvantage of the hate sandwich, since he was too far away for
Shinji to try anything. He'd just wanted to sit with Kaoru and keep
Shinji from hitting on her.

He wished that he'd
sat next to her instead of seating her on his lap; it was very
distracting. The smell of her hair, the way she was holding his hand
without really thinking about it...it was moments like these that
reminded him how much he loved this girl.

When they announced the
shinai/bokken part of the tournament was over, and the katana section
would begin after lunch, the two teams met in the lobby. Normally
they would avoid each other like the plague, but since they were
sharing a car, they would be forced to lunch together. When everyone
but Kaoru was there, however, the others got worried.

"Quiet." Aoshi
said. His flat, icy vice shut the WC team up effectively. They still
remembered the staring contest from that morning. "Look- there."

Sure enough, Kaoru was
making her way towards them through the crowd. She was smiling, but
there were telltale streaks on her cheeks and her eyes were red.

"Sorry, I had to use
the bathroom." 'Please let him not notice anything...'

"Why were you crying?
Does your arm still hurt?" Kenshin asked, concerned.

"I wasn't
crying..." 'I swear he has Kaoru-senses or something...'

"You took a pretty
hard hit. We should get it looked at." Soujiro chimed in.

"I'm fine, aren't
you listening?"

"Here, let me take
your gear." Kenshin took her bag from her hand. She scowled and
smacked his hand away violently.

"I tell you I'm
fine!" She hugged her bag tightly.

"If you were fine,
would you have gone into the bathroom to cry?" Kenshin asked,
raising an eyebrow. 'How stupid does she think I am?'

"I wasn't crying!"

"Don't worry about
it. There's no competition in our division. If we lose, it won't
be your fault. And no more sneaking off to cry." He told her,
linking her arm with his. "Now, where should we go for lunch?"

The blue-eyed girl's
jaw dropped. "Are you psychic, or are you stalking me?" She
finally managed.

"I'm stalking you.
But in a good way." He assured her. 'If there is such a
thing.'

As the matches had gone
on, she'd bitten her nails as far down as she could. When she ran
out of nail, she started in on her fingers.

Watching Aoshi and
Soujiro was nerve wracking enough as it was. But Kenshin-she couldn't
help but obsess over his every move. It took three fingers and three
matches before she realized every near miss and sudden dodge was
faked.

He was purposely
playing with each opponent, making it look like he was barely winning
when he could have ended it in one move. He was enjoying it. Once she
realized this, she calmed down. Sort of. She was still biting at the
bleeding finger absently.

The closer they got to
the final match, the more the fluttering feeling in her stomach
increased. What if her mess-up in the earlier rounds made them lose?
What if one of them got hurt? Every time Kenshin dodged, she sighed,
even though she knew he was way too fast to get hurt. Hanna standing
behind her, bored, observed her silently.

"Why do you get so
worked up over him? It's not like he could die or something."

"I know." She
murmured. "I know...but I still worry..."

"The final match!"
The announcer called. She gripped the railing with one hand,
mindlessly biting at the other hand in fear. Hanna sighed and yanked
her hand back down. Kaoru wasn't even paying attention. The sight
of Kenshin and Shinji preparing for their match was too distracting.
Nerves finally getting to her, she turned and ducked her head, not
wanting to watch the carnage unfold.

The bartender, with
dark brown hair and a smile, leaned over. "Can I get you all
something?"

"...you think Kaoru
would be upset if I drank vodka?"

"Probably." Sano
said idly. "You know how she gets."

"Water, then."

While Kaoru got ready
for the after party, the guys had arrived and taken up their seats.
Sano was drinking beer, and Kenshin was drinking water and
Aoshi...well, he had vanished at some point and no one knew where he
was. As for Soujiro, he was unconscious due to some spiked punch.

The rival WC team was
sitting at a table across the club, all drinking the punch. They
seemed to have better tolerance for the drugs, since they were, in
fact, conscious and reasonably lucid. Around them, the rest of the
tournament participants danced, lounged, and drank to their hearts'
content. It was their party, before the formal ball held tomorrow.
Soon, everyone would be loose enough to act stupid and the real fun
(for the sober people) would begin.

Outside, Kaoru climbed
out of a taxi and walked towards the door, her purse over her arm.
She didn't know why she'd bothered with the purse- Kenshin would
insist on paying for her drinks despite any argument she could
make-but she still nursed a futile hope that he'd get distracted
and she could pay for something herself.

Spotting red hair among
a sea of blondes, brunettes, and black-haired heads, she headed
towards the bar on one side of the wall.

"Hey." She greeted
them. They looked at her outfit- a close-fitted purple top with
ruffles and a collar that wrapped around her neck, tucked into pants
that looked like they'd been painted on. Kenshin gave a mental
sigh, glad that she wasn't wearing anything short or low-cut.

Kaoru smiled and turned
around, presumably to look for Aoshi.

Sano dropped his glass
loudly.

Her top was backless-
bare from the back of her neck to just above her waistband, where a
small purple bow resided. Her white skin glowed in the dim lighting,
dashing Kenshin's hopes that she wouldn't attract any male
attention.

"...I say we go back
to our room and make out for the rest of the night."

She turned a lovely
shade of red and refused to meet his eyes. "What? I...um...er...no,
I don't think...um...you're not serious? Are you?" 'So
glad I didn't wear the other top Misao and I bought...he might have
dragged me back to our room instead of asking nicely.'

"If you two are so
smart, how come you're here listening at the door with me? Huh?"

"..."

Kenshin shifted
slightly in bed, careful not to wake Kaoru. Soujiro, Aoshi, and Sano
were crouching on their side of the suite, trying to pick up some
clue as to what exactly he and the blue-eyed girl had been doing all
night while they partied. He knew from long experience that in
exactly three minutes; Sano would deem it safe to enter the room.
Sliding very slowly out of the bed, giving Kaoru his pillow so she'd
let go of his arm, he moved to stand before the door.

Sano opened it.

"...I told you they
weren't doing anything!" Soujiro hissed.

"Go away." Kenshin
said slowly, enunciating clearly. He shut the door, locked it, wedged
in a chair so Aoshi couldn't pick the lock, and turned to go back
to sleep. Only to find Kaoru sitting up, looking adorably sleepy as
she rubbed her eyes and pushed her wayward hair out of her face.

"Good morning."

"Hi." She yawned.
"You know, when you said you wanted to make out, I didn't think
you were really serious. You scared me." Another wide yawn, and she
dragged herself to her suitcase. "Can I use the shower first?"

The formal ball held
every year after the tournament was a big affair. So big, in fact
that Megumi and Misao took the train in to attend and help Kaoru
dress herself. This was all fine and good, or would have been if
Kenshin hadn't also been staying in with her.

"The eyeliner should
be..."

"And the lip
gloss..."

"Glitter?"

"No, it should be
more like..."

"Uh, guys? Maybe we
should let Kenshin get ready first?" Kaoru offered, watching him
hide on the other side of the room where he was safe from the
invasion of the girls.

"Oh, he'll be fine.
Himura, go away. We need to make Kaoru worthy of your salivating
after her."

"Right. I'll
leave." He ducked out the door and took refuge in the lobby
downstairs.

Free to attack their
raccoon-ish friend without fear, Megumi and Misao closed in for the
kill.

"Take a look at your
dress, Kaoru!" Misao held up the offending garment.

Blue eyes widened in
horror. "No! We agreed I would wear the other one!"

"We lied!" Megumi
grabbed her arms and held her still. "Quick, Misao!"

The ballroom, rented
and decorated hours beforehand, was beautiful. Marble floors, crystal
chandeliers, red velvet curtains along the huge windows. Two grand
staircases, curving towards each other, where fine carpets covered
the ground. It was a fancy affair, definitely, and that was what made
Kaoru feel so out of place. She didn't see herself as the kind of
girl who went to these kinds of parties. Misao, in contrast, managed
to look good, while Megumi was in her element, classy and elegant.

Kenshin, like Kaoru,
didn't particularly like formal events, but he didn't feel
uncomfortable there. And he always looked forward to seeing his
Kaoru, all dressed up.

The dress that had been
the source of so much trouble was golden, with full, foamy skirts
that opened to show an underskirt of navy blue. It was surprisingly
modest considering Misao had bought it, but the bright color and
shine of the fabric made her stand out among the crowd. She would
rather have worn a plain white dress, or a plain anything dress,
really. The only upside was the way Kenshin would steal looks at her,
in admiration, when he thought she was distracted.

"You look pretty."
He said, jerking her out of her thoughts. She glanced over at him, al
in black, as usual, and smiled uncertainly.

"You look good, too."
She turned to wave at Misao across the room and stumbled. Kenshin
caught her, but it was too late. Her heel had snapped off of her
shoe. "Aw, dammit."

"Over here." He
dragged her over to a chair and set her down so she could take her
shoes off.

"What am I going to
do?" She asked. "I can hardly dance like this. And I refuse to go
barefoot; it's unsanitary."

"I'll stay with
you." He pulled out a chair for himself, settling in. She shook her
head.

"No, go ahead. I'll
wait for you."

"Don't be stupid.
What kind of friend would leave you alone?"

"A smart one, maybe."

"If I leave you, I
guarantee you will be stolen off before I know it. And then what will
I do?"

"Don't be silly.
I'd never leave you alone."

"And I won't leave
you alone."

"Oh, all right. You
win. You must be an unlucky guy, to be stuck with me all night."

"I've been lucky
since I met you. The unlucky ones are the ones who haven't."

In the parking lot the
morning they left, it was ninety-five degrees. The heat waves, rising
off the pavement, were visible. It was the kind of heat that required
air-conditioning and massive amounts of water. The sky was spitefully
cloudless, affording the unlucky ones who were forced to venture
outside no shade.

In this heat, Kenshin
and Kaoru were waiting for the others to bring their luggage down.
She was starting to wish she'd gone to help them carry tings,
because when she'd gotten dressed, she had forgotten one critical
fact.

The skirt she was
wearing was even shorter than the shorts she'd worn to practice. It
was so short that she wasn't allowed to wear it in certain parts of
the city because it violated indecent exposure laws. The top wasn't
much better- low-cut and spaghetti-strapped and clingy-but the skirt
really took the cake. And she knew that whenever she wore this skirt,
Kenshin would without fail harass her until she went insane. And by
harass, she meant he kept sliding his fingers just beneath the hem of
it.

"Is it that hard to
keep your hands to yourself?"

"Is it that hard to
wear clothes that don't show your underwear?"

"You can't see my
underwear..."

"Really? I can see it
just fine, especially when you sit like that." His thumb brushed
her thigh, just barely under her skirt, and she stiffened. The
problem with him was that she didn't know how to deal with him.
Were his attentions a ploy to get her to wear more or was he actually
interested in her? it was impossible to lash out the way she did with
everyone else; she always felt like he was humoring her if she hit
him.

Uncrossing her legs,
she scowled. "I'm not going to sit in your lap if you get like
this."

"I'm not going to
let you sit in anyone else's lap- if I can't keep my hands to
myself, no one else will."

The car ride back was
uneventful. Kaoru, Kenshin, Shinji and Hanna squished into the back,
Sano, Aoshi, and Soujiro sat in the middle, and Ben and Dan took the
front seats and switched off driving.

It was a thirteen hour
drive due to traffic, and when they arrived at home they all went
straight to bed to sleep.

In the morning,
however, there was school, and it was evil indeed. Kaoru, not a
morning person and in need of coffee, arrived at school early. She
was immediately cornered by Misao and Megumi, while Kenshin went off
to find Sano and stop him from doing something stupid.

The three girls hid in
Mr. Fujita's empty classroom. The topic of discussion was her most
avoided: her social life. And Kenshin.

"Well? Did you tell
him?"

"NO! Obviously not!"

"Why? It was the
perfect opportunity. You were alone, riding the thrill of victory,
making out in your room..."

"What was I supposed
to say, Misao? 'Oh, Kenshin, I've loved you since thud grade!
Please go out with me!' How pathetic would that have sounded?"

"Not as much as you
might think." Said a familiar voice from behind them.

Kenshin was standing in
the doorway, looking rather shocked. "I just came to tell you Mr.
Fujita's here and you might want to vacate his classroom before he
catches you."

"Um...how much of our
conversation did you hear?" Megumi asked nervously.

"Enough." He
answered his eyes on Kaoru, who was wishing with all her hart that
the floor would just swallow her up so she wouldn't have to face
him.

The two less
embarrassed girls left, and Kenshin moved aside for them so they
could pass. Then he moved towards Kaoru.

He stepped forward. She
stepped back. This continued until se hit the wall.

"Why are you pinning
me to the wall?"

"I'm not, you just
kept moving backwards." He hesitated. "Did you mean what you just
said?"

"...yeah." She
stared at the ground, its spotless floor suddenly endlessly
fascinating to her.

"I'm glad. I
thought I was going to have to confess first."

"Confess to wha-
wait, you mean you..." She trailed off hopefully.

"Let's go out for
dinner tomorrow."

"Okay." She didn't
have time to say anything else, because Kenshin slipped his arms
around her and kissed her.